What’s Important? (Part 1)

⁴¹“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but only one thing is needed.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41,42

One of my favorite leadership lessons is “Focus by Asking” by Bob Biehl. In the lesson, Bob shared a conversation that went like this:

Bob’s Friend: “I’ve been asking myself one question for three years.

Bob: “One question – for three years? What is it?”

Bob’s Friend: “What’s important?”

Bob: “What have you been finding?”

Bob’s Friend: “Less and Less“

God’s really been dealing with my heart about what is important in life and the answer really is – less and less! In a world where we constantly have millions of ideas, concepts, items, theories, and people demanding our attention, we often find our focus spread thin.

I believe God wants to reveal to us what is important to Him, which according to Jesus, is one thing! If we’ll learn what that one thing is and make that our focus, I believe all the other arenas of our lives will take care of themselves. So over the next few days I want to unwrap this thought of figuring out what is important.

Thoughts?

Winter Highlights 2009

As usual – time is flying! The first quarter of 2009 is already at an end! It’s been a great start to the year so far – literally every year of my life seems to get better and better! Yours should be doing the same!  So here are my highlights of the first quarter:

Went to a Steelers Playoff Game the Year they won the Super Bowl – Great game and Great Company (Thanks Ben!)

I got to spend some quality time with my dad and sister over some nice dinners! I love them! (*Note – my dad does not normally wear that hat – we made him wear it for the pic . . . He is a baller though!

First Pens Game I’ve been to since High School – Had a great time!

Fiddler on the Roof – Good company, good dinner, and I even learned some new dance moves!

The Ladies Around the Office “Love” me so much they made “Bubba Bricks” to throw at me – I feel loved

Dressed up like a girl for a skit/movie at 19 North – Bubba became “Bubbalicious” – Awkward… I’ll probably never do that again haha

Finally got my college degree – it’s over!

Got to serve at the Special Olympics – Good Times!

The Prank… Not really worth mentioning… but a highlight none the less!

Mr. McFelee Making an Appearance at 19 North – he took pictures with everybody and signed autographs – What a guy!

Ski Trip with Revolution - Always a good time!

The End of the Saturn….. On the bright side: We had Chic-fil-a milkshakes before the accident…

We Roasted a pig for the Super Bowl – Pretty Sweet

Those were just a few highlights from a great kickoff to the year….. What were some of your highlights?

TED: John Wooden – The Difference Between Success and Winning

This Video goes right along with what I’ve been teaching along the lines of teaching… it’s worth watching!

Sweet Story: A Student Changed My Life Last Night

One of the things I love about youth ministry is being able to change the lives of young people. Something I love even more is when students change my life! God is pretty cool like that! I had something happen last night that I’d like to share with you!

I mentor one of our youth and we were going over a book I’m having him read called “Holy Discontent” by Bill Hybels. The student was telling me that his Holy Discontent was the culture. He wants to change the culture and help the church become all it’s called to be. He started getting teary-eyed and reminded me of a story I told once during a service. The story goes like this…

A man goes to Heaven and is asking an angel questions . . . The conversation went like this:

Man: Who was the greatest Preacher of all time

The Angel: (Pointing to a man sitting on a bench) He was

Man: I recognize that man – he wasn’t a preacher,  he was a janitor

The Angel: I know, but He was called to be the greatest preacher of all time. He just never surrendered His life to God.

In telling me that story, the student started balling to the point where he barely finished the story. I smiled and said, “It’s ok man, but why are you crying??” His response changed my life…. He said, “Because there are so many people like that today.” (Referring to people who are called to do amazing things for God and have absolutely no clue) I was speechless…

Some of my favorite lyrics in a song are in Hosanna, when it says, “Break my heart for what breaks yours” (Talking to God). We have to get to the point where we see people the way God sees them. We’ll never know who someone could become or what they’re called to be if they’ll only surrender their life to Jesus.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the work of the ministry and everything else going on in our lives that we forget what we’re actually called to do… we’re called to give people Jesus and allow Him to transform them into the people he called them to be. We need to take this call from God very seriously – peoples lives and futures are depending on us being obedient!

I’m so glad I got reminded of that last night . . . I hope this serves as a reminder for you.

To the student that I’m telling this story about – Thank You! (You know who you are) You changed my life last night… I love you brother!

What Makes a Great Teacher (Part 4) – Bad Teachers

¹NOT MANY of you should become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation].

James 3:1

What Makes a Bad Teacher

When I was in college I’d give teachers what I called the “One Week Test”. If they didn’t capture my attention in the first week of the class – I’d blow the entire class off for the semester. I’d actually choose to sit in the back and I’d read books in the back while that teacher taught. Looking back, that wasn’t the greatest thing I’ve ever done, but often it was a more beneficial use of my time then actually paying attention. (If I could go back, I’d respect the teacher and be attentive regardless of how I feel. It actually was a bad witness and very disrespectful – I wish I would have realized that earlier) The truth is though, a lot of classes as a result of the teacher are a waste of the student’s time – so what are some characteristics of a poor teacher? Here we go:

Bad Teachers Don’t Take Ownership – they read line upon line of what they’re supposed to. They never bring it into real life – the might as well use a tele-prompter. They never own their subject!

Bad Teachers Lack Passion – I can tell in 2 minutes if you’re passionate about what you’re doing or not, I ended up giving the teachers a week! If you’re not passionate about it – why are you doing it?

Bad Teachers Don’t Care About the Advancement of Their Students – they are there for the paycheck. These teachers don’t take one minute all semester to actually pour into their students lives – UGH!

Bad Teachers Give Everyone A’s - Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE these teachers ha-ha -but it isn’t real life. No One gets all A’s in life, these teachers rarely made me better…. bad teachers never challenge their students.

Bad Teachers Don’t Believe in Themselves - this one is sad because students take full advantage of this. If the teacher doesn’t believe in him/her self – they’ll never make a difference and students will run them over.

Bad Teachers “Know it All” and Expect Their Students to as Well – this ticks me off! Teachers that have been teaching the same principles for 30 years and expect you (after being exposed to it once) to get it. Get a clue – these teachers make students feel worthless.

Bad Teachers Talk Down and Talk Negative to their Students - There is a difference between criticism and constructive criticism. If you’re a teacher and you tell a student they’re a failure or stupid – you should be slapped! That could ruin someones life forever!

Thoughts?

Book Review: Axiom

This is definitely a must read for those in leadership and ministry. Bill Hybels is the senior pastor and founder of Willow Creek Community Church (One of the largest churches in the nation). The book consists of 76 leadership proverbs that Bill has learned personally through experience throughout his 30 years in leadership at Willow. Out of all the leadership books I’ve read – this is probably the most practical one I’ve read. Every proverb has something you can implement in your churches or businesses. I’ll be using this book as one of my leadership road-maps for a long time. I’m going to keep it on my desk so I’m able to go back to the principles often and make sure I’m implementing them. Here are some of my highlights:

• Leadership is a lot about asking – the longer you lead – the bigger “asks”you’ll have
• People in your organization will have no clue what season they’re in unless you tell them
• Most of the worse managerial calamities I’ve caused – in which people got deeply hurt can be traced back to my being overly optimistic putting people in roles they were ill equipped to play.
• Your followers have to know it’s legal to admit that while they may be sitting across the conference-room table wearing a smile and a trendy outfit, nothing is fine or fitting quite right on the inside
• If you cannot say, “Follow me,” to your followers and mean it- then you’ve got a problem – a big one.

• The best leaders I know refuse to tolerate mushy communication
• Calling fouls is the responsibility of the leader
• The healthiest organizations I see are not conflict free. They are just ridiculously committed to keeping short accounts.
• If we wanted an easy profession, then we should probably find something besides ministry to do
• Some pastors whose churches are dying don’t want to know the objective facts of their situation because they are genuinely afraid the raw information will be more than their hearts could bear
• Inside every critics attack is usually a tiny kernel of truth. And rather than lashing back, I should  spend my energy figuring out what it is
  
• This is the only time in history when I get to fight for God. This is the only part of my eternal story when I’m actually in the battle.
  
• Lead something beyond your main thing. You’ll become a more effective leader.
  
• Leadership’s first test is the test of the family and it’s the test that must be passed before any further tests may be taken.

Final Grade: A+             Buy it here… NOW!

Marine Corps Marathon 10.25.09 – Are you interested?

Have you ever wanted to run a marathon? Have you thought about it, but then thought it’d be impossible? Well – I’m here to tell you that literally anyone can run a marathon that wants to! I’m walking proof of that! If you have a desire to run one – I highly recommend you take on that challenge! It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made…there is nothing like crossing that finish line when it’s all over.

A group of us are planning on running the Marine Corps Marathon in October! We’ll be spending the weekend in D.C. and the more people we have  the better! We’ll all be training together as well. Training usually begins about 20 weeks out from the marathon – so we’ll be starting training for this toward the end of May. If you have questions on training plans and how they work – just ask me or research them online. It’s a lot easier than you think!

Are you interested? Registration begins April 1st and usually the marathon fills upin a week. You’ll be able to register here! If you’re seriously considering it – leave me a comment on this post or e-mail me at douglasasmith53@gmail.com.

DO  IT!!! I’m looking forward to hearing from YOU!

What Makes a Great Teacher (Part 3)

¹NOT MANY of you should become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation].

James 3:1

What Makes a Great Teacher?

Great Teachers are Passionate -great teachers love what they do and it’s evident to everyone that sits under their teaching. Passion spreads like wildfire – teachers with passion caused me to like the subjects I hated. Passion makes all the difference in the world.

Great Teachers Recognize the Importance of Being a Teacher – great teachers are constantly aware of the fact that they can change a students life forever.

Great Teachers Challenge their Students - the best teachers I’ve had – I hated at times because they challenged me, caused me to give my best effort, and stretched me to be all I could be.

Great Teachers Believes in Their Students and Their Students Know it - This isn’t about talk – it’s about action. If a stranger asked your students if they think you genuinely care about them – what would they say? If you don’t believe in the potential of every student – you need to find a new job.

Great Teachers Do Not Treat Everybody the Same – they recognize that students all have different strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, and learning curves. Great teachers find out what their students needs are and coach them individually.

Great Teachers Go Out of Their Way - they don’t just pay attention to the students that raise their hands every question or that are the most popular, or even the brightest. They go out of their way to make sure every student feels loved, respected, and that they can do anything they put their minds to.

Great Teachers Want Their Students to go Farther Than Themselves -Teaching is ultimately about the legacy you’ll leave. The ultimate question is: Will my students better equipped for life than I was at their age because of the invested I’ve made in them. Am I enabling them go to farther than I did? Than their parents?

Great Teachers Reproduce Who They Are – Great teachers don’t just read facts and theories out of a textbook and expect to change a students life. Students will forget most the theories and principles you teach them, but they’ll remember who you were, what you stood for, and your character. Remember that more is caught than taught and that everything you do and say will have an impact on a student.

Great Teachers Bring Real Life into the Classroom - I’ve heard the quote, “Those that can’t do, teach, and those who can’t teach – teach gym.” While that is meant to be funny – it has some truth to it. If you’ve never done what you’re teaching – get around professionals that have done it and get as much knowledge from them as you can so you can bring real life into the classroom. Bring them into the classroom and have them give you credibility. Nothing is worse than teaching something you’ve never actually done or attempted.

I got some of these thoughts from some great comments in this post... Thanks guys!

What are your thoughts? What makes a great teacher?

What Makes a Great Teacher (Part 2)

¹NOT MANY of you should become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation].

James 3:1

The Significance of Being a Teacher

I want to focus this week on what makes a great teacher and what makes the bad ones. I don’t want you to limit you’re thinking in this series to only think of teachers as people who instructs in a school or university. I will be focusing more on those types of teachers but in reality, we’re all teachers and we’re all teaching something everyday to someone. If you carry influence in someones life you’re a teacher and I believe you’ll benefit from this series – so here we go!

I want you to think of a few of the teachers that have made a positive impact in your life. Think about how your life is different today because of the investment they’ve made in your life.

Now think of a teacher who has a negative impact on your life. How has that impact influences who you are and how you live today?

When asked who were some of the biggest influence’s in his life other than his father, John Maxwell’s linsisted that his 5th grade teacher was one of the most influential people in his life. Why? Because she was the first person to ever tell John that he was a leader. He is now 62 and he still thinks about the impact that teacher made in his life in 5th grade with just a few words.

Zack Blair shared a story about how his 6th grade teacher told him that he was going to be a failure in life and how that stuck with him for years. I’ve had very similar experiences when I was in middle school. Negative things spoken into my life that stuck with me and developed a belief system in my heart that I made decisions from. In other words, every decision I made came from believing that I was a failure in life.

I wanted to shared these stories to show you how significant the role a teacher is. As a teacher you’re literally helping mold and form people into the people they will become 5, 10, 15 years down the road, possibly even the rest of their lives! Every word you speak, every minute you spend with someone, and everything you do has an impact on your students. The impact will either be positive or negative, if you don’t recognize this – you’ll never be a great teacher.

The truth is that your position and role as a teacher automatically enables you to be a life changer. Whether or not you change someones life for the better is entirely up to you. I’m going to share some principles over the next few days that I believe if a teacher will take them and apply them – they’ll constantly be influencing students to become better than they are.

Check out this video – I hope it sparks a vision in your heart on taking the role of a teacher seriously. People are depending on us to be the teachers God called us to be. They’re counting on us to be a difference maker in their lives!

What makes a great teacher? (I need your opinion!)

QUESTION 1(Answer in the comment Section) – When you think of teachers that made an impact in your life – what qualities enabled them to do that? What made them a great teacher?

Question 2 – When you think of teachers that wasted your time – what qualities did the possess that made the class a waste of time? What are some qualities that teachers should never have if they want to be effective?

I’ve been wanting to do a series on qualities of great teachers for a while now. Since I’ve finished most of my formal education, I often find myself looking back on the experience. I can probably name on both hands the number of teachers that I thought made a class worthwhile and had an impact on my life. I’m convinced that the teacher will make or break the class as well as the subject.

Teachers have the ability to change lives forever – my question is – why can most people only name 5-10 teachers that had that kind of impact on their lives? Teachers are missing it! They have an opportunity to influence students in a way a lot of us never will… I’m convinced that teachers are able to learn how to become a great teacher – that is why I want to write this series… I’ll take your thoughts and put them into the series!

I’m looking forward to your thoughts!

Next Page »